Secure the future of the NHS with 36,000 more frontline staff

Our NHS should always be there for you and your family when you need it. Labour will secure the future of our NHS with 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 extra GPs.

This investment in our health service will be funded by a clamp down on tax avoidance, a levy on tobacco firms and a higher tax on properties worth over £2m.

The Tories have put private profit before patient care and left A&E departments facing the worst crisis since records began.

Their plans would reduce public spending to levels not seen since the 1930s, before there was an NHS.

The NHS as we know it cannot survive five more years of the Tories.

GP appointment within 48 hours

Under the Tories people are having to wait longer and longer to see a GP. More people are having to wait over 48 hours for an appointment, and over a quarter of the public say they can’t get an appointment in the same week.

That’s bad news for families who depend on their local GP service, and it’s also putting huge strain on our Accident and Emergency departments.

The Tories cannot escape their responsibility for this. They made it harder to see your GP by scrapping Labour’s guarantee of a GP appointment in 48 hours, saying that this was “no longer a priority”.

They cut funding for Labour’s GP extended opening hours scheme, and as a result fewer practices are open at evening and weekends. We will guarantee that you can get a GP appointment within 48 hours – and on the same day for those who need it.

A Labour government will give people the right to book an appointment more than 48 hours ahead with the GP of their choice. This is particularly important for people with complex needs who need continuity of care with the same doctor, but may not want an appointment straight away.

Ambulance times critical

Labour's local parliamentary candidate Helen Hayes is pressing hard for improvements in the performance of the London Ambulance Service.

''Our paramedics work really hard, but the London Ambulance Service is stretched beyond capacity on too many occasions'' said Helen.

''Currently almost half of Category A patients are not seen within the 8 minute target.''

''I have heard many distressing stories from residents whose relatives have had to wait too long for an ambulance to arrive or have waited outside Accident and Emergency for a bed to become available.''

Delivering better mental health services

One in six of us is suffering from a mental health problem at any given time, yet mental health services, particularly those for children and young people, are not well funded. A Labour government will invest in better support and early intervention for people with mental health conditions, saving the NHS money in the long term.

Helen Hayes said ''At the moment, residents in Dulwich and West Norwood have to wait too long for access to talking therapies and other forms of support. We will invest to improve support for people with mental health problems.''